Learning in The Womb...

Mike,

I do not know the answers to your questions...but I have copied some sections of a study to show it epigenetics work...there are many other ways besides what I am pasting below...

New research1 demonstrates males may experience epigenetic changes when exposed to cold temperatures prior to mating that are passed to their offspring, appearing as a greater percentage of brown fat distribution
Recent research using an animal model demonstrates males who spend time in lower temperatures prior to mating produce offspring with more active brown fat tissue.6 This quite literally means the environment has an impact on the father’s ability to pass epigenetic changes to his offspring.
Recent research using an animal model demonstrates males who spend time in lower temperatures prior to mating produce offspring with more active brown fat tissue.6 This quite literally means the environment has an impact on the father’s ability to pass epigenetic changes to his offspring.

In order to delve further into this correlation, researchers conducted studies on mice.7 Splitting the mice into two groups, one group was kept near 74 degrees Fahrenheit (F) while the other was kept at a cool 47 degrees F. The animals were then allowed to mate. An analysis of their offspring showed the environmental temperature of the male made a difference in the level of brown fat tissue in the babies, but the temperature of the females were kept in did not.
The offspring of the males kept in cooler conditions were better protected against excess weight gain and against metabolic disorders.8 This research confirms prior studies demonstrating environmental factors have the ability to modify epigenetic pattern of sperm.
However, this is the first time ambient temperature has demonstrated an ability to make genetic changes that are passed on to the offspring.